Dr. Thomas Romo's Little Baby Face Foundation provides free plastic surgery to low-income children with facial deformities. This video shows the foundation at work, highlighting four recent applicants to the Foundation. Dr. Romo's team considered fixing Conner's cleft lip and large nose, Renata's large nose, Donovan's small chin, and Cheyenne's deformed eyelids. Bullied cleft lip high schooler gets surgery. | Plastic surgery offered to low socio-economic bullied teens The 'Second … [Read more...]
Caregiving a cleft and an Alzheimers patient — II.
ALS, Cleft, and Alzheimers caregiving. Of late, I've begun to think of some of the issues of caregiving because my sister-in-law was recently diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. This disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body due to the degeneration of motor neurons. Her partner has already begun to perform the classic tasks whereby a caregiver: Takes care of household chores, meals, or bills for someone who cannot do these things alone Manages medications … [Read more...]
Caregiving a cleft kid and an Alzheimers patient – I
Caregiving a cleft. My mother's caregiving consisted of intense involvement with me during the first three years of my life and then further intense involvement during my preschool and elementary years when my unclear speech and susceptibility to bullies needing addressing. She then had a respite punctuated by caregiving around other special needs I had --more surgeries, orthodonture, a bad heart diagnosis. All this extra care was on top of the normal caregiving a stay-at-home mom in the … [Read more...]
Cleft lip caretaker and extraordinary woman.
Tomorrow, March 31, will be the anniversary of Laura Schonborn's death. To honor her, I'm posting a few remarks and two paintings I did of her. A heroine of mine. A heroine is a woman who is admired for, among other things, her fine qualities. Laura's qualities included being a selfless caregiver. During most of my early life, Laura put my needs--and those of her other two children--before hers time after time. Caretaker extraordinaire. At her memorial service Reverend Danford Lion … [Read more...]
Announcing: book trailer for Cleft Heart, first-ever memoir about the cleft experience
Am excited about new Cleft Heart book trailer. Please share this trailer with your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media friends. And let me know what you think of it. Experts say one needs a description of one's book beneath the trailer as well as contact and sales info. This is what's on the You Tube site, just below the trailer: In effect, this book trailer is an anti bullying video. It’s about Cleft Heart, the first-ever memoir about life with a cleft lip and cleft … [Read more...]
What’s different about Joaquin Phoenix besides his cleft lip?
It's not just his 'facial difference! Denies his Cleft Lip Actually, Phoenix has created controversy about his lip. He says something--but not a "cleft"--just happened when his mother felt pain at one point during her pregnancy. (Fellow actor Stacey Keach "owns" his cleft.) If "something happened to Phoenix' mom, this had to have been around the 6th week when most cleft lips and palates form. Many doctors feel that his famous scar is from a microform cleft lip, also known as a "forme … [Read more...]
Cleft Lip Beauty looking for help to pay for Pageant Expenses
Cleft lip beauty Katie Barrow needs your help now. She needed help 20 years ago, and apparently received some very good surgical help, judging from the outcome of her four facial operations. Let's set aside quibbling as to whether talented reconstructive surgeons gave her an edge, just as Oscar Pistorius' "blades" may've given him an edge against other runners (lot of good they're doing him now). Katie deserves your financial support because, as a cleft lip and palate afflicted infant, … [Read more...]